News and views

Spring, at last, has sprung and with it has come the lambs, the blooms, the longer days – and, of course, the seasonal warming up of the property market. As happens at this time of year, my desk has seen a marked increase in conveyancing files adorning it of late.

As many New Zealanders know, a family trust is a legal way to hold and protect your assets for you and your family for the future. The assets (properties/investments) will be owned by the trust rather than by a person, and they are managed by trustees. The trustees are usually family members but could be a professional person like a lawyer or accountant.

A recent High Court decision (Johnson & Ors v Auckland Council) develops the law around the extent of a buyer’s liability for failing to complete proper due diligence checks when buying a leaky home. The case shows that the compensation paid to a buyer will be reduced if the buyer does not take adequate care when deciding to buy, even if the Council has been negligent.

A North Island egg farmer’s free range egg scam has been well and truly cracked by authorities in a case that serves as a stiff warning to all traders that flouting consumer laws is a risky business indeed. Around 200,000 customers and 38 retailers were duped in the rort, in which the farmer labelled more than 206,000 dozen cage eggs as free range, and, by Commerce Commission estimates, pocketed an extra $375,000 for his deception.

​Have you ever considered that one day you might not be able to make decisions about business or family matters due to incapacitation? It pays to be prepared for a time when you might not understand the nature and consequences of decisions and/or the ability to communicate these decisions.

The Building Amendment Act 2013 was passed by Parliament on 27 November 2013. It is the result of a comprehensive review into the Building Act 2004.

On an almost daily basis we read about employment issues that have ended up in litigation, costing those concerned huge sums of money, not to mention ill-feeling and stress. If you’re an employer, it pays to know about your obligations when it comes to hiring, firing and employee relations.

Have you ever been bamboozled when a shop assistant offers you an extended warrant on your latest purchase? Maybe you’ve bought something online that just doesn’t work when it is delivered to your door. Fear not, the law is at work to protect you.